1912

The most important bit of news coming our way this month is an account of "Cap" Allen's "footloose in France without itinerary, without reservations, without a camera." Cap and a buddy of his flew out of Kennedy Airport one day last May and proceeded to wander through southern Europe. Plenty of hotel rooms (except after midnight in Paris), gorgeous foliage, and a wealth of interesting faces added to the joy of relaxation which was his. "One does have a special interest in travel. Mine is people and faces. I love to sit at a sidewalk cafe or stroll along a street and watch the people who go by on foot or on bicycles, especaily the old men and women. Some faces have wrinkles set in patterns that show long experience with life and usually a satisfactory experience. Their clothes and headgear are striking, berets on the old men, scarves on old women. Trousers of ample width on the men, kerchiefs often at the neck. The old women peasants and working types usually have rather long skirts as skirts go now-a-days. But it is the strength of character that fascinates me. The get-up of the younger and more fashionable feminine contingent do not differ greatly from those of our own girls. They hobble about in spike heels and some wear those tremendous beehive hair-dos. Hair ranges from henna red to bleached white."

Cap visited the prehistoric cave country, the well preserved Roman arenas and openair theatres of such places as the walled city of Carcassons. In Avignon it was the famous bridge and the extensive Palace of the Popes. Then down to the Riviera including Monaco where he did not get a glimpse of Grace Kelly. Following his established formula, Cap played roulette at Monte Carlo and won. I'll not divulge his method. In the Alps he rode the cable cars and at Annecy succeeded in meeting up with Madame Osterreich from Antwerp whose gracious invitation he accepted and visited her at her beautifuL, estate with hedges of rhododendrons in full bloom. At Aix les Bains he took "a bath as the Romans did 2000 years ago." You should hear him describe it! The result, "I went out 5 years younger."

Roy Lewis, last I heard, was struggling with insurance adjusters following his devastating fire. In his temporary quarters he is becoming "very well acquainted with power tools and hand tools that every once in a while fail to hit the nail and land on the thumb, etc." Leonard Wood tells us he has had a well ordered life with the emphasis on hope. Gertrude and Morry Knight, Edithand Ray Tobey, and Henry Viets all attended the "Dartmouth Horizons" meeting in August. News from Beverly, Mass., TomCasey reports a series of several ulcers with consequent operations. No real hobbies but his family and many grandchildren make up the lack of material activities. The extent of his exercise now is an occasional walk to the corner of the street.

My old freshman roommate, Stan Lovell, was instrumental in effecting the big merger of McCord Corporation and Davidson Rubber Company which he proudly did single handed. Elwyn Taber visited the Hitchcock Clinic in September and was informed that if he didn't overexert himself in any way he was good for a while longer. He and Sheila return to St. Augustine in November. By the way, has any one a typewriter he would like to contribute? "Tabe" lost is in the Lewis fire.

"Boss" Geller reports that the Owego Historical Museum of which he is the leading light has just been honored by being approved by the N. Y. State Council on Arts for a loan exhibit of 30 paintings from the collection of "American Paintings — The Tradition of Realism" which opens October 6. Alma and Lee White leave for their newly purchased home in Pinehurst, N. C., the middle of November. So far this has been a record year for Lee — no hospital siestas. Ben Adams writes of a busy summer caring for a huge house and lawn. Only two treks to take in the coast of Maine and northern Vermont and a touch of Canada. He looked for other '12ers at the New Hampshire game.

From Nat Whitmore came the sad news of "Jogger" Elcock's death in June. In the reply to the announcement that a "rare and beautiful book" was being placed in the Baker Library in Jogger's name came a very appreciative letter from his son, Walter Jr. '42. A similar one was received from Gardner P. Bullard Jr. The sad news of the death of Shorty Tyler on September 1 in Dixon, Ill., came through via FletcherClark.

New addresses: Leonard A. Wood, 65 Summer Street, Lowell, Mass.; Prof. Harry C. Barnett, 533 Elm Street, Ann Arbor, Mich.

Secretary, 136 Steele Rd. West Hartford, Conn.

4 Bank Building, Middleboro, Mass. Treasurer,